Duke Energy solar project near Mount Holly earns national award

Published: Monday, February 11, 2013 at 04:22 PM.

Installing a battery to keep the power running when clouds interrupt energy to solar panels has earned Duke Energy national recognition.

Duke Energy installed a sodium nickel chloride battery system at its Rankin Substation north of Mount Holly in 2011, near the solar facility at National Gypsum. The battery is designed to keep electricity flowing during any disruptions, such as when clouds pass over the facility and drop the amount of energy going out into the grid.

“You need something to somehow smooth out disruptions. This is a test project at a retail substation,” said Duke Energy spokesman Randy Wheeless.

Italy-based FIAMM Energy Storage Solutions, a producer of sodium nickel chloride batteries, delivered 12 batteries to Chicago-based S&C Electric Co. to assemble and test, then the system was delivered to Duke Energy in December 2011.

The battery kicks out power when solar energy wanes, smoothing out any disruptions so the power grid stays secure, Wheeless said.

The installation was named one of the top projects of the year for integrating renewable energy into the grid by the editors of POWERGRID International magazine and Penn Well Corp.

“As we look down the road, we don’t know what the future might bring for solar,” Wheeless said.

Installing a battery to keep the power running when clouds interrupt energy to solar panels has earned Duke Energy national recognition.

Duke Energy installed a sodium nickel chloride battery system at its Rankin Substation north of Mount Holly in 2011, near the solar facility at National Gypsum. The battery is designed to keep electricity flowing during any disruptions, such as when clouds pass over the facility and drop the amount of energy going out into the grid.

“You need something to somehow smooth out disruptions. This is a test project at a retail substation,” said Duke Energy spokesman Randy Wheeless.

Italy-based FIAMM Energy Storage Solutions, a producer of sodium nickel chloride batteries, delivered 12 batteries to Chicago-based S&C Electric Co. to assemble and test, then the system was delivered to Duke Energy in December 2011.

The battery kicks out power when solar energy wanes, smoothing out any disruptions so the power grid stays secure, Wheeless said.

The installation was named one of the top projects of the year for integrating renewable energy into the grid by the editors of POWERGRID International magazine and Penn Well Corp.

“As we look down the road, we don’t know what the future might bring for solar,” Wheeless said.

Solar could become more common, but that also means there needs to be a way to keep the energy coming when the sun’s not out.

Duke Energy installed solar panels on the rooftops and grounds of select warehouses, schools, manufacturing facilities and other buildings in 2009. This 10-megawatt, $50 million project produces enough electricity to power the equivalent of 1,300 average-sized homes.

Duke owns and operates 1-megawatt solar farms in Shelby, Taylorsville, and Murphy in addition to a 16-megawatt project in San Antonio.

You can reach reporter Amanda Memrick at 704-869-1839 or follow @AmandaMemrick on Twitter.